The Peabody Girls

     My book club selection for last month sounded a little intriguing to me before I started reading it because I have my own sister, and I love knowing about her life.  However,  The Peabody Sisters by Megan Marshall may have been chosen as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, but it's not a book to pick up for pleasure.  Well documented, the story of these remarkable sisters lives from their births in the early 1800s until 1843 took forever to read.  At last I reached the end but didn't attempt the pages and pages of research notes.  So much for intrigue.

The Peabody Sisters
Book Art Journal Page

      Born in the early 1800s at a time when girls and women were considered less important and less intelligent than men and boys, the 3 Peabody sisters weren't allowed to attend school so they directed their own educations themselves.  The girls  challenged themselves to learn everything they could including several foreign languages  They were all quite intelligent and their mother, Eliza, encouraged them to grow up to be independent women.

      Elizabeth (1804-1894), domineering and the most independent of the girls, was eventually the founder of our American kindergarten system.

      Mary (1896-1887) would marry Horace Mann, have 3 children, and leave an unpublished novel behind after years of teaching.  She was the most beautiful of the sisters and the one with musical ability.

      Sophia (1809-1871), used her migranes as a crutch to get out of responsibility, married Nathaniel Hawthorne, bore 3 children but quit her sculpture and painting when the children came.

     Poverty ridden, these three women had a thirst for better lives especially Elizabeth who worked tirelessly to gain that end.  They all worked as teachers sporatically which was one of the only acceptable occupations for women at the time.  Their three brothers, who had received good educations, didn't apply themselves in the same way as the girls.  Two of the boys died in their twenties, and the third ended up being bitter towards his sisters.

     Even though the girls had some problems among themselves, they remained united throughout their lifetimes.  Elizabeth had, at one time, fallen for Horace Mann only to see him marry her sister Mary.  The man Elizabeth felt she really loved, however, was Nathaniel Hawthorne who chose Sophia for his wife.  In the end, Elizabeth never married although she had several close male friends who stimulated her intellectually.

     In my opinion, its interesting to note the changes in attitudes toward women and their worth.   The self-motivation of these women is remarkable especially at a time when there were so few options open to them.   Perhaps life is just too easy for the young of today.

     So, remember the ladies.

                       Carol